


The Missing Phone

by Small_Hobbit



Series: Twelve Days of Christmas plus A Few [15]
Category: Life on Mars (UK), Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 16:53:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13275792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Small_Hobbit/pseuds/Small_Hobbit
Summary: Sam Tyler is called into Gene's office because Gene thinks he has two visitors from Hyde - only it's a bit more complicated.





	The Missing Phone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [talkingtothesky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/talkingtothesky/gifts).



“Why is he never here when I need him?” Gene Hunt muttered as he opened his office door and glared round at those who were there.

Fortunately, Sam Tyler chose that moment to return, carrying several files, evidence he must have been to the Collator’s Den. 

“Oy,” Gene shouted, “Give those files to Skelton, and get in here.”

Sam did as instructed.  He found two men already sitting at Gene’s desk, one of whom appeared to have a black eye, which looked suspiciously similar to the one which Gene was sporting.

“Who are they?” Gene asked.

“I don’t know,” Sam replied.  “I’ve never seen them before.”

“Not from Hyde then?  They seemed to be infected with your sort of crazy, so I thought they must be.”

Sam sighed.  “Maybe I could speak to them on my own?”

“I’m not leaving you alone with him.”  Gene pointed at the man with the black eye.

The other man spoke up, “I am sure, detective, I can promise nothing will happen to your colleague if you were to leave us alone.”

Gene scowled but nodded.  “But the first whiff of you moving and you’ll wish you hadn’t been born.”

Gene stomped off to go and shout at Chris for failing to make any progress with the files Sam had just given him.

Once the door was closed, Sam said, “I’m Sam Tyler.  Can I ask your names?”

The shorter of the two men, the one with glasses, said, “I’m Harold Finch, and this is John Reese.”  He felt in his pockets and frowned when he couldn’t find what he was looking for.

“Have you lost something?” Sam asked.

“My mobile phone,” Finch replied.

“You won’t find it,” Sam said.

“Who’s got it?” the other man, Reese, asked.

“No-one’s got it.  It just doesn’t exist.”  Sam shrugged his shoulders.  From their reaction, the men seemed to have arrived without their clothes changing, Finch’s suit presumably having been of an old-fashioned cut and Reese wore a plain black suit without a tie.  “Can I ask you what year this is?”

Reese snorted, but Finch gave Sam a considering look and said, “2014.”

“Actually, here it’s 1973.”

Reese stood up, “Don’t …”

“I suggest you sit down, Mr Reese, because DCI Hunt meant what he said about you moving.”

Finch put a hand on Reese’s arm, and he reluctantly sat back down.

“Which explains the absence of my phone,” Finch said thoughtfully.  “Presumably you’re not from this time either.”

“No, I came from 2006, but I’m here for good now.”  Sam saw Gene’s shadow by the door.  “For now, I’ll concoct a cover story which will buy us some time.  After which …”

Gene burst through the door, and before he had the chance to say anything, Sam said, “It turns out they’re from, um, Norfolk.”

“That accounts for it,” Gene said.  “You get very strange folk from the Broads.  I went there once, couldn’t understand a word anyone said.”

“Exactly.  But they do need somewhere to stay the night.”

“Tyler, you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you?”

“They can use the spare bedroom.”

“It’s got a double bed.”

“I don’t think that will matter.”  Sam glanced across at Finch, whose mouth gave a slight smirk.  Reese merely continued to glare.

“You mean they’re …” Gene began.

“Yes, rather like us.”

“Hmph!  I’m not sure I like that sort of thing.  Not in the spare bedroom.”

“How can you be so hypocritical?”

“We have the master bedroom.  That’s different.”

Sam rolled his eyes.  Finch smirked again and Reese transferred his glare to Gene.

Finally, Gene sighed, muttered, “Well come on then,” and picked up the keys to the Cortina.

***

Somehow they had got through the evening without any major arguments.  Sam had winced as he had shown Finch and Reese into the newly decorated lounge diner.  For once Gene had been enthusiastic in his purchases, and despite Sam’s best attempts to tone things down, the colour scheme was still of the ‘once seen, never forgotten’ variety.  However, it did serve to convince Finch of the truth about the date.

Sam had cooked, and Gene had passed round the beers, and then, as the evening progressed the bottle of whisky.  After which Sam had shown Finch and Reese to the spare bedroom, once more groaning inwardly at the eiderdown with large red roses and the dusky pink bedcover.  There were many things he liked about 1973, but the décor wasn’t one.

After which Sam had gone to bed and thankfully fallen asleep.  He woke in the night to the sound of female voices.  It was some time since he’d been bothered by them, but as Gene hadn’t stirred he assumed they were just in his head.

Then he realised he could hear Finch and Reese apparently replying to the voice.  For a second he wondered whether they too were in his head, but Gene had appeared to think them real, and Gene’s black eye certainly seemed to be the genuine article.

As Sam listened he heard one of the voices say, “The Machine tracked you down, but it wasn’t easy.  Why didn’t you phone?”

Reese muttered something, and Finch said, “It’s a long story.  I’ll explain later.  For the moment, can you get us back?”

“Yes, Shaw’s on her way.”

Sam continued listening, but heard nothing until the spare bedroom door creaked, then stopped abruptly.  Gene half stirred, but sunk back into sleep.  Then there was a sudden flash of light and nothing more.  Carefully, Sam crept out of bed and made his way to the spare bedroom.  Cautiously he opened the door, which creaked again.  He wasn’t surprised to find there was no-one in the room.

The following morning Gene woke and went to switch on the bedside light.  Nothing happened.  Gene muttered something about the electrics and shuffled towards the bathroom, before heading downstairs.  Sam followed him a few minutes later.

“Where are your guests?” Gene asked as Sam came into the kitchen.

“They’ve gone.”

“Back to Norfolk?”

“Yes.  They, err, wanted an early start.”

“Couldn’t cope with life in the fast lane?”

“Something like that.”

“Coming here was probably the most exciting thing to happen to them in years.”  Gene paused, then added, “Do you want one egg or two?”

 

 


End file.
